Following the sad demise of Andersen EV, now is an important time to discuss smart EV charger cloud architecture and its long-term implications for EV users. As the industry continues to evolve, choosing the right charging infrastructure has never been more critical.
With Andersen EV entering administration, many customers are now potentially left without cloud connectivity or smart charging support. This renders their chargers effectively ‘dumb’ they can still charge a vehicle, but their smart features and app functionality are lost.
As a co-founder of Andersen EV, I personally designed its charging architecture back in 2016. When I left in 2020 unexpectedly and against my wishes, the Andersen A2 charger’s smart charging and app architecture mirrored many chargers on the market today: with its smart functionality residing in a cloud server. Even then, I was fully aware of the architectural risks of cloud dependency and fought hard to reduce reliance on the cloud, but ultimately, financial decisions took precedence.
Cloud-based architecture comes with significant risks that extend beyond the possibility of a company shutting down and leaving customers without support. EV chargers that rely on a constant online connection via Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or GSM are at risk of interrupted smart functions if the home internet fails or if there are server-side issues. Additionally, data privacy concerns arise when manufacturers source OEM products from China, often using generic IoT providers controlled by Chinese authorities, meaning customer charging preferences and data may be stored on foreign servers instead of locally on the charger. Another key risk is limited longevity, as chargers that depend heavily on cloud functionality can become obsolete if the manufacturer discontinues support or goes out of business, as witnessed with Andersen EV. However, despite these challenges, cloud-based architecture does offer conveniences for both manufacturers and customers. Users can sync smart settings across multiple devices, and the firmware running on EV chargers can remain simpler, only managing core EVSE functions, LED indicators, and basic safety protocols. Manufacturers also benefit from faster feature deployment, as new functionalities can be added to cloud servers without requiring firmware updates. Additionally, development costs are lower, as cloud-based systems require less technical expertise and offer a faster route to market. Yet, while these advantages streamline manufacturing and product delivery, they primarily benefit manufacturers more than end users, leaving cloud-dependent EV chargers vulnerable without a backup plan for local functionality. A balance between cloud and local architecture is crucial for ensuring long-term reliability, security, and customer independence in EV charging.
When I founded Simpson & Partners in 2021, my goal was to create EV chargers that wouldn’t rely on cloud connections for core functionality, ensuring they remained intelligent, reliable, and future-proof even in the face of potential internet disruptions or manufacturer cloud server issues. Our Home Series 7kW and 22kW chargers are built with locally embedded smart charging functions, including scheduling, load balancing, solar integration, and security locking, all of which operate directly within the charger firmware, eliminating dependence on cloud connectivity. This means that even if an internet outage occurs, your charger will continue to function seamlessly, maintaining smart scheduling and energy optimization without interruption. Developing this level of autonomous intelligence took 18 months of rigorous development, over 105,000 lines of code, and an investment exceeding £300,000, ensuring that our chargers remain fully functional even if cloud services experience disruptions. While our chargers are designed to be independent from cloud reliance, some non-essential features still utilize online services, Charge Reports, which store your charging history in a cloud index for detailed usage tracking, and Agile Tariff Integration, which requires access to an energy provider’s web API for dynamic pricing adjustments. By prioritizing charger-based architecture, we ensure that EV owners maintain full control over their charging experience, creating a system that is resilient, transparent, and built for long-term reliability.
Many EV chargers still rely on outdated control screens and limited interfaces, reminiscent of early 2000s consumer electronics, but at Simpson & Partners, we have transformed the user experience by introducing a local control interface designed for modern smartphones. With Bluetooth-enabled functionality, our app delivers the full cloud architecture experience, without requiring an internet connection, allowing users to manage all settings locally as long as they are within 20 meters of their charger. Our firmware architecture is built for performance and reliability, featuring a proper embedded processor instead of a Raspberry Pi, and is written in C, with all FreeRTOS libraries developed from the ground up, ensuring quality, stability, and long-term efficiency.
Our firmware API design is built with agnostic connectivity, allowing commands to function seamlessly over both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, ensuring consistent communication regardless of network conditions. For cloud services related to reporting and tariff integration, our server-side architecture leverages AWS IoT, a modern infrastructure used by major automotive brands and consumer electronics manufacturers, delivering reliable, scalable, and secure cloud connectivity. Additionally, Google Big Query powers our charge reports, providing lightning-fast processing for users who require detailed insights into their charging history, ensuring efficient data retrieval and user-friendly analytics.
I am immensely proud of what the Simpson & Partners team has achieved over the past 18 months. By developing smarter, more resilient charging solutions, we are ensuring that EV owners have full control over their charging experience, without the limitations of cloud dependency.
If you have any questions about our architecture, I’d be happy to discuss them. Let’s build a smarter, more sustainable EV future together.
